Feet First - On Jumping Into Lake Washington

On Wednesday, my husband and I were invited by our good friends to join them on a sail boat ride. She had won an auction item the year before to have a 6 person dinner and wine event and was finally getting a chance to enjoy it. The day was amazing - sunny, warm, not a huge breeze (which wasn't great for sailing, but it would open up later in the night). A few hours into the wonderful trip, the opportunity to go swimming was brought up. Of course I hadn't been planning on swimming and did not bring any bathing suit. However, this did not stop me from jumping in. Below are the thoughts that were bouncing around my head as I enjoyed the lovely late night dip....

I screamed a bit as I crashed into the water. It wasn't out of fear though, as one may imagine occurs when jumping off a boat into the evening shadows. Oh no. This noise, screech really, erupted from my body out of exhilaration.Pure joy.

Maybe it was the 4ish glasses of wine (1 champagne, 1 white, 2.5 reds) that had me readily agreeing to jumping into the middle of Lake Washington at 9:30pm in my jeans and bra. Or maybe it was the acknowledgement that this type of event - sporadic - would most likely not occur anytime soon. And as I made my way to the front of the boat, my comrades cheering me on in varying degrees of support, I launched myself off the front of the beautiful sailboat and into the deep waters below.

Calm.

After regaining my breath from the initial shock of wet and gradually getting used to my jeans sticking to me, I began to float and tread. The few conversations from my boat-mates - how cold is it? how do you feel? I can't believe you are wearing your jeans! - gradually fell away as they went back to the wine and I was left alone.  But I felt serene. I was letting the weeks of stress, uncertainty and anger extend out of me and float away as I listened to the hum of distant boats off the water.

I literally felt like it was melting - I carry so much weight from the world on my body that the weightless sensation, 172 feet from the bottom of the floor, took me to a place of serenity. Think Happy Gilmore's "happy place".

Of course the voices from the boat came back and my friend, a much better and fitter planner than I, joined me in her bathing suit to swim along.

She had a similar reaction. The sense of peace and quiet - even though technically we were surrounded by people and noise, it held this private sanctuary for the soul; albeit briefly. There have been few times in life I've ever felt that calm: The Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal, Canada; The Seven Sacred Pools of Hana in Maui, Hawaii; the top of the bell tower in Siena, Italy. And now, in the middle of Lake Washington, late at night, 172 feet from the bottom of the lake floor.

Rome...and why you should go.

The Colosseum

My man and I went on a 10 day European vacation with 3 days in Rome and the rest on a Mediterranean cruise. I had been to Rome 10 years ago (and various other cities in Italy) and was very much looking forward to returning. If you are in need of a few reasons to convince yourself or others on why you should take time to go here...let me share with you my top 5. 

1. The history. My love told me he didn't want to do anything touristy in Rome. He wanted to drink with the locals and relax. It took less than 4 hours for him to completely change his tune. We found the Colosseum, paid the 20 euro, and had an amazing time. We walked along the cobblestone streets and ran into countless historical sites. Our package included a 3 hour walking tour with the Vatican, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain...and with the exception that the bus that took us there did not bring us back to the hotel, he had a great time. Soak up the BC and AD vibes that is intertwined in this huge city.

 

2. Architecture. Much like history is everywhere, so to is amazing architecture. Greeks, Romans, temples, aqueducts...you name it, it's here. And it is awe inspiring.

3. Art. It is the epicenter of art. When you walk into a church in the US, you have some lovely pieces. When you walk into a church in Rome, prepare yourself for hundreds of paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and crosses. It's nearly overwhelming. Or you can just walk into one of the galleries. Just think of the ninja turtles...you'll find it in Rome. 

4. The people. The hubs and I wandered in to Oratorio Bistrot and found some of the most welcoming group of people I've ever met. My broken Italian got a few smiles and a return with pretty good English. They suggested tourist spots and nightlife...and to come back to them when possible! So we did :-) Their new restaurant was lovely and the food and wine delicious! I have not had one rude experience in Rome and think their spirit is a great reason to visit!

5. The food. True, this image is of espresso, limoncello, and wine. It was the end of the meal :-) Realizing that they want you to order in courses (meat, pasta, vegetable) makes it easier to understand that the chicken you ordered is coming alone (I definitely did that and had to order asparagus to compensate). But the pasta...the sauce...I would gain pounds living off of it. I ate at 5 different restaurants (bars) and did not have a terrible experience. The hardest part was choosing one because there are so many...

Do not miss out on gelato either!!!

The history, architecture, art, people and food are my top 5 reasons to go to Rome. I'm sure there are others, maybe with more depth and detail. But honestly, I believe Rome is one of those places that can speak for itself.

So what are you waiting for... Rome + Florence

On Living Life

On a beach in Hawaii, 2009

 My new husband is extremely work oriented. Forging a path in his career to put him on the right course to success is his number one priority. And where I support and respect his dedication to finding a job that is fulfilling and meets his ambitious needs, I sometimes have a hard time understanding it. Don't get me wrong, I want to live "The American Dream" (or what's left of it) as much as the next gal. But I have this desire to expand my horizons and inner happiness another way...by living as much as possible.

With my aunt passing away suddenly, finishing my master's degree, and getting married all happening within 3 months of each other, I've had a hard time digesting what it is that makes me happy. What is it that makes life worth living each day? I'm sure there is a mathematical way to figure this out. But since I am pretty bad at math, I've deduced three possibilities simply based on what I've experienced and learned so far.

1. Do something you love full time. This is the "find a job you enjoy" philosophy. It's not easy, I can tell you. Finding a job you love that pays well isn't always a possibility. Finding a job that isn't shite usually gets a "whoo hoo" in our current economy. But if you can find this position. This magical occupation that actually makes it easy to wake up at 6am and head to work...hold on to it with 2 hands and don't let go!!!

If you can't, I give you:
2. Hobbies! Get some! Join a club. Join a gym. Knit. Play a sport. Go to quiz nights at local pubs. Start an evening out club with friends. Start a game night. Blog. Play music. Listen to music. Travel (which is also number 3). Check out classes at your community center. Zumba. Join a parenting group. Anything to get your mind off the daily grind and the job you may not love. I personally have a few I love doing and I've met amazing people from them. There is something to be said in enjoying the fact that you can do fun things - even little things...

And 3 to living a full life...
TRAVEL! It doesn't need to be far. It doesn't have to be expensive. But getting out of your town/city and checking out what other places have to offer is eye opening and refreshing. It can recharge you. We spend so much time attached to our computers, our jobs, this compact life we can't stuff anything else in...that we just don't. Make a deal with yourself to get the hell out of your cage! Take a mini-break to the ocean...or that cute little B&B 5 towns over. Travel abroad for a few days/weeks/months if you can do it, and immerse yourself in the culture.

Life is truly amazing. Ferris Bueller said it best: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it."  A job is time consuming - so find something you enjoy (or can at least tolerate). Hobbies let us do and be who we are - it adds a little something to your week beyond "work, eat sleep". Find something you find fun and do it! And travel beyond your town - it lets you see things you don't normally see and meet people you normally wouldn't have met. Dream big here! You can learn a lot by hoping on a train/plane/or in a car...

Of course, these are just my opinions and I know there's a bigger, deeper philosophical conversation at work here, as well. But for me and my personal reflection to what makes my life fulfilling...these are the things I cherish most (with the exception of family...but that's another story). Please feel free to let me know what you would add to the list!

An interesting start and Back from Bogota

Like Thumper said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

This may be why I didn't write anything for close to a year in this blog. Or possibly because I forgot. Either way, writing a blog, take 2.


I have just recently returned back to Seattle from a week long trip to Bogota', Colombia. The Spanish architecture combined with the beautiful countryside made it an amazing adventure with a lot to see and take in. Getting past the obvious stereotypes - i.e, I wasn't kidnapped, I didn't bring home any coke, the chocolate covered coffee beans were awesome - Bogota is still somewhat recovering from an awful past painted with drugs and violence. However, they are trying (with a lot of success) to overcome this image and bring in tourism. The people in Bogota were wonderful and very helpful. My boyfriend is 100% Colombian and speaks no Spanish and I look like a Pilgram and speak beginner Spanish. So attempting to put 5000 pesos of minutes on our cell phone turned into quite the challenge at the corner market. It did end well with a whole lot of Spanish being spoken around us, but the effort strangers put in to aid in our obvious distress...well, there's something to be said for that.

We also had the pleasure of having 2 contacts down there - without the added benefit of knowing someone, I believe the trip may have been harder. Kent and I were staying in the historical district the entire time (La Candaleria). At night, this is not the nicest place to be (stay in Zona Rosa) - but our new friends came from their part of town to go out with us and even took us out to see Garavita.

As a person who's travelled to a few places over the years, I know what it's like to hit a new country (or continent) and wish you knew just a few things prior to going. So, before entering Colombia (Bogota, specifically), please know:
1. Never, under any circumstance, order a soup called Mondongo...trust me
2. If you can, bring salad dressing. They seldom have salad, but if they do, it's dry.
3. Aguarcaliente (sounds like aguariente) takes like Sambuca, tastes like Uso - it is tradition, however, so you may as well enjoy - even if you don't like the taste of black liquorice.
4. Go to all the major attractions (Salt Cathedral, Monseratte, Gold Muesum) on the weekdays. They're much less crowded and you get more time to walk around.
5. A guided tour of Bogota is a great way to see things - try to get Claudia through Diversitours. She may drive extremely crazy, but she is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful.
6. Speaking of crazy driving, I thought New York/Seattle was bad. The congestion is sickening, the roads have huge pot holes (or has eroded away on a slant!), and people go in and out of traffic like the lines don't exist. Plus, the honking.....ugh. Please note, we were told by our Colombian friend's that drivers in India are worse.
7. If you can do more of the country - do it. Bogota would have been good for 3 days, with 2 days in a B&B outside the city and then off to the coast for 3 days. We had a wonderful time and plan to go back - but with much more of the country in mind.

Take Care,
Kendal